Filippinene fortsette å fly gjennomomdiskutert område

Philippines aircraft to continue flying over disputed South China Sea: President Aquino

An aerial file photo taken though a glass window of a Philippine military plane shows alleged on-going land reclamation by China on Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, on May 11, 2015. Philippine military and commercial aircraft will keep flying over disputed areas in the South China Sea despite Chinese warnings over the airspace, President Benigno Aquino said on Monday, May 25. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

MANILA - The Philippines will continue to contest China's no-fly zones over a chain of rapidly expanding man-made islands in the South China Sea, President Benigno Aquino said on Monday.

"We will still fly the routes that we fly based on international law and the various agreements and treaties we have entered into through various decades," Mr Aquino told reporters outside the capital Manila.

But he also expressed confidence that China would exercise restraint, even as it asserts control of airspace over at least seven reefs it occupies in the Spratly island chain in the South China Sea.

"We would not want to think that one nation will single us out because it has yet to declare an ADIZ (Air Defence Identification Zone) covering routes that our carriers use," said Mr Aquino.